Chapter 4

By Ministry Decree

Disclaimer Whatever I do Harry is still not mine and I'm still not a witch.

Authoresses Note Harry finally makes an appearance and I will start doing some parts from his POV

So what happened that changed my life you might ask well it was on the front page of the Daily Prophet. All single witches and wizards over the age of seventeen and under the age of fifty for women and seventy for men, and all the war orphans of childbearing age were to be set up in ministry arranged marriages, and had to be married within the next 3 months. That or face time in Azkaban I almost fainted as I realized that I would be married by the end of the summer. If only my period hadn't started over Easter break if only it had waited another year or two but alas I was 12 and I was doomed to be a child bride to someone I didn't even know. And it got worse All couples must conceive a child before their first anniversary and must stay married for at least five years and produce two more children before the marriage could be ended. If one of the couple was found to be infertile then the marriage was annulled and the fertile partner was to remarry. Merlin I thought the ministry was going medieval and they were taking womens lib back a few centuries. I thought I was going to be sick I could end up married to some old geezer and pregnant by this time next year. Then the owls flew in leaving letters for me Dierdre and Antigone. Dierdre got one saying Remus Lupin age 40 and a small enchanted picture of her betrothed smiling and waving. She started to cry but then I realized that this was the kind man who had helped me the day my parents died. I told Dierdre about that day and said she was lucky to get someone so kind. Antigone opened her letter and near fell off the bench she turned a strange shade of green. Who is it I asked she couldn't answer she just handed me the letter. What I read made me want to toss my cookies too Severus Snape. Oh Merlin poor Antigone would have to marry the ever hated Professor Snape, who on top of being in need of better personal hygine now had a nice limp he a gotten in the war. Now he was a crippled greasy git as Ginny liked to call him I looked at Ginny

Who'd you get? I asked.

Not as bad she said of course not all that good either it's Stan Shunpike from The Knight Bus.

Oh I said trying not to giggle.

Well let's see who you got said Dierdre You still haven't told us.

I opened the letter and my jaw dropped and my hands began to tremble.

Well who is it? Dierdre asked.

I couldn't answer I was in such a state of shock.

Oh give it here, said Dierdre taking the letter from my now shaking hands then she squealed OH MY GOD YOU HAVE TO MARRY HARRY POTTER I did faint then.

Later that evening after I got out of the hospital wing I walked back up to my dorm still starring at the letter in disbelief. I read it over and over Harry James Potter Age 18 address number 12 Grimauld Place London. His wizard picture gave me a shy smile from it's place inside the letter. I gave a small smile back I should feel like the luckiest girl in the world and yet I was in shock. How could plain little Sayward Mac Neill ever be good enough for the famous Harry Potter, who had beautiful women throwing themselves at him every day. I was thin with my body only beginning to develop the curves most men look for. I had long dark brown hair that fell in curls down to my waist and dark blue eyes. I wasn't ugly but I wasn't pretty either.

Harry's POV

I stared at her picture yet again she was very pretty and you could tell she would grow into a real beauty. And there was the crux of my problem. I was 18 nearly 19 and she had just turned 12. I Harry Potter who had just a year ago defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort now had to do the wizarding world one more favor get married and father a child. It didn't help that my wife and the child's mother was still a child herself. What did the Ministry think I was a pedophile. I'm no sicko who likes to molest little girls I thought to myself but they want me to marry a twelve year old and get her knocked up. I thought I hated Minister Fudge before now. I felt rather murderous electric blue sparks of elemental magic were flying off me. I was about to loose control taking control of my emotions before my powers got the better of me. I formed a energy ball and threw it at the portrait of Sirius's mother that we still had not been able to get off the wall. She screamed and cursed at me while I continued to throw energy balls at her until her portrait had several large scorch marks in it and she had decided to stop screaming before I destroyed the painting altogether, and I felt somewhat better most of my anger abated. And so I decided to meet my new bride and try to make the best of a bad situation I knew as bad as I felt about this whole mess she had to feel worse.

And so I walked over too the fireplace grabbed a handful of floo powder, and flooed Albus Dumbledore at his office.

Professor Dumbledore you there? I asked.

Yes Harry and please call me Albus you are no longer a student but a friend Harry.

Yes Sir but it still feels wierd calling you by your first name not to mention old habits die hard I said.

What can I help you with today Harry? he asked.

I think you know Albus I said trying to remember to use his first name.

The marriage decree I assume then he said with that smile and twinkle in his eyes he always got when he was amused about something.

Yes what do you know about a student of yours by the name of Sayward Mac Neill? and oh yeah your on the Wizengamot and a member of the Order of Merlin couldn't you have done something to stop them from passing such a dumb law?

Yes and No Harry he answered yes I know Sayward and no some of us tried to change the Ministry's mind or at least parts of the decree but to no avail. And I must sadly admit it is something of a necessary evil. If it makes you feel any better Minister Fudge stands

no chance at all of re-election after this stunt though he said.

I really don't care about Fudge's political career I said but I need to meet Sayward and get to know her and soon. Also what can you tell me about her Albus? I asked.

Well lets see said Albus she's a first year makes good grades very smart but she's rather withdrawn since her parents deaths last year.

So she is one of the war orphans? I said.

Yes Albus answered her parents ran a shop in Hogsmeade and were killed during the final battle last year.

Oh great I thought her parents are dead because Voldemort wanted to kill me that day.

Harry said Dumbledore is there anything else you want to know?

Ah yeah who were her parents? I asked.

Anna and Matthias Mac Neill they ran Honeydukes sweet shop after Anna inherited it from her parents.

Oh yeah I think I remember them I said they were always so nice when we came by on Hogsmeade visits. I remember they used to tease Ron that he was one of their best customers.

Yes they were a very nice couple said Dumbledore.

So what else can you tell me about the girl Sayward? I asked.

Like what do you want to know? asked Albus.

Things like what does she like? what house is she in? does she have a crush or a boyfriend? cause that would really make things worse you know just whatever you can tell me.

Well I don't know much about her likes and dislikes she in Gryffindor House, Ginny seems to know her and her friends pretty well so maybe you should ask her. And as far as I know she isn't dating anyone. Anything else I can do for you Harry?

Um yeah get her to come to your office and if you don't mind I'm flooing over now I guess I just really need to meet her especially before the press finds out about her.

Thats fine Harry I'll get her and I'll see you when you get here.

I was about to floo right over when the thought that first impressions are important crossed my mind. I decided to shower and change first. An hour later I was clean and dressed in black pants a forest green dress shirt and midnight blue robes. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley always said this was my best outfit, and that I looked very handsome in it. Whatever they say I thought they know more about fashion than I do jeans and a tee-shirt would be my first choice. I did my best to try and make my hair lay down or at least look like it had been combed. After that I threw on a dash of cologne and looked at my reflection in the mirror same trademark scar and black round frame glasses but I had grown a mustache and was currently experimenting with growing a beard not a Albus Dumbledore type one but just enough of one to change my appearance a little so people didn't recognize me at first glance. I had also let my hair grow out till it was shoulder length and rather shaggy looking when I left in down. I usually kept it tied back in a neat ponytail which is the way I planned on wearing it tonight. I had to see how my fiance would react to the scar. I prayed that she would'nt ask to touch it and then ask for my autograph, that had happened on several blind dates Tonks and Hermione had set me up on. Ron thought this was funny now that he and Hermione were married and he no longer had to worry about the single scene. I was about to give up on dating and live my life as a hermit holed up in Grimmuald Place. After putting on a pair of black dress shoes I was ready and a stepped into the fire place trowing in a handful of floo powder and saying Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts.

When I stumbled out of the flames I saw Albus Dumbledore sitting at his desk with a rather amused look on his face.

Good evening Harry Sayward and I were just talking about you and well speak of the devil he said with a sly smile and that darned twinkle in his eyes. I had found out over the last year to my horror and amazement that Dumbledore enjoyed a good prank as much as my father and the rest of the Marauders had, probably explains why they never got expelled I thought.

I then noticed the girl sitting across from my old headmaster she was trembling slightly. She was thin but somewhat tall for her age she had long curly brown hair and what really caught my attention were her dark blue eyes made bright by the fear and nervousness in them she was beautiful. I thought if only she was a few years older I might not mind this arrangement but then again there was nothing that could be done about that now it was the law we had to marry. All I could do was try to make the best of it and take good care of her and maybe things wouldn't be so bad. We could make this work if we tried hard enough. I just hoped she could forgive me for ending her childhood. I tried very hard to reason with my self seven years would not really be that big of a deal if we were older it wouldn't matter much at all if she were say 21 and I was 28 and in five years when it would be possible to get out of this she would be sixteen and I would be 23 that was still a little odd but not as bad I thought but my thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice.

Hello Harry she said.

Hello Sayward I said.

Dumbledore then got up an excused himself saying he would give us some time to get to know each other. We sat in silence for several minutes before I finally found my voice

Are you ok with all this I asked it's all very sudden and you don't know me and your so young I can't imagine how you must feel right now but I want to make this as easy for you as possible and I want to be a good husband even if this marriage is against our will and we don't know each other well enough to love each other.

I guess I wanted to say the same thing she said with a small nervous laugh. Except I hope your not disappointed with me I know that you probably are seeing someone and you could have done much better than me.

Actually I'm not dating anyone now and I think as far as looks go that you are very pretty so no I'm not disappointed by you I said.

I do wonder what your like personality wise that's really more important than looks as far as I'm concerned. I'm curious though what do you think of me?

Well it's a bit intimidating finding out your supposed to marry the most famous wizard alive I mean, I feel totally out of my league. You seem nice enough and there is no question that you are very handsome you seem down to earth and not one bit arrogant so thats a relief you've been nice to me so far so I guess I like you well enough so far. Everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am and I guess in a way they're right. But still the whole thing is just so bizarre it really doesn't seem real one minute I'm a twelve year old nobody school girl the next I'm to marry a famous wizard that I don't even know and have a baby all before I turn thirteen. It's all to much it just can't be real. I've been pinching myself all day thinking I'd wake up and it would all be just some wierd dream.

I was impressed she was honest and brave for telling me how she felt. I could also tell she had a good head on her shoulders that she had thought through all the implications of the marriage.

All I could say was yeah I know what you mean it does seem like a weird dream.

So she asked when are you wanting to do this do you want to wait as long as possible or just get it over with?

Well I was thinking a small ceremony here at Hogwarts a few days after end of term. Hopefully the press won't find out about you before then I don't want them hounding you to death a making a big spectacle of our wedding the last thing I want is for it to be a media circus. I said.

So you just want to find someone who'll marry us and not worry about the formalities? she asked.

Well I would like to give you a small hand fasting ceremony and I'll buy you a wedding dress and a nice engagement ring and wedding band, flowers a cake all that stuff and we'll invite a few close friends

since neither of us has any family to invite it should just be a simple ceremony I said.

Okay she said that sounds lovely to me who will you invite I will only be inviting Dierdre, Antigone and Ginny.

Well Dumbledore will probably officiate and I want Ron to be my best man. I will invite the rest of the Weasley's, Hermione, Remus Hagrid, Professor Mc Gonagall a few members of the Order and the DA. And that should be it I know my Aunt and Uncle won't come so I guess unless I've left someone out I said.

I wish I had that many people to invite but I don't know that many people I really just wish my parents could be there she said tears welling up in those sparkling blue eyes.

It broke my heart to here her grieve for her parents partly because I knew exactly how she felt and partly because I felt responsible for their deaths. If I had taken care of Voldemort earlier if only there have been way to many if only's and If I could go back and do it agains in my life. Dumbledore had suggested I see a Healer who was the equivalent of a muggle psychiatrist since Voldemort's defeat he said that it would help me to move on and it did. But there were still moments like these when I felt so guilty and sometimes I still do.

I don't even have someone to walk me down the isle and give me away she said tears now flowing freely down her cheeks and down her sweet heart shaped face. I may not have been a man in love at that moment but the scene of my fiance no matter how she came to be that crying her eyes out broke my heart. I could tell the stress of the day had gotten to her and she had been as brave and as strong as she could be for as long as she could. But now the facade of taking this whole thing well was falling apart and the real her was coming out and she was just a little twelve year old girl who was scarred to death and facing a life of if onlies and what might have beens. I thought about all the things that she would miss out on all the things that the Ministry's decree was taking from her. And realized that although it was the Ministry's fault I would be the one to take away whatever future she had envisioned for herself. I would be the one to take her innocence, her freedom, her teen years at that moment I felt little better than a thief.

I stiffly walked over to her from where I had been standing by the fire I knelt down beside her chair and pulled her into my arms letting her cry on my shoulder. I could feel her small frame shaking as she finally let the emotions that had been building all say out in between sobs I found out a lot of the things that upset her the most.

What will I do about school will I even get to finish? she asked and honestly I didn't know what were the Ministry's plans for educating the war orphans that it was marrying off so that they were no longer wards of the Ministry or their financial responsibility the war had nearly bankrupted the Ministry.

And how can they expect me to be a wife and a mother? I don't know how I'm too young I wanted to get married and have children someday but not now. I don't want this now how could they just tamper with someone else's life this way? she asked. And again I didn't answer because really they had no right to screw up so many peoples lives they were becoming as bad as Voldemort I hated Fudge with a purple passion at the moment if he had been in the room at the moment I would be in Azkaban right now.

I've never had a real boyfriend before never been on a date I've never even held a boys hand much less been kissed I'll never go to a school dance none of the stuff I've been looking forward to. At this I felt even more guilty if possible I had my first kiss my first date my first girlfriend all those first that happen during your teen years even though I had the weight of the wizarding world on my shoulders at the time I had still had those moment but she wouldn't and I felt terrible but then I had an idea.

Sayward I asked would you please go out with me on a date? She looked totally confused.

What are you playing at? she said please I know I'm being childish and I know I've just made a fool of myself crying like a baby just now but please don't play with my feeling now at least not today she said.

I'm not I said I know I can't make everything perfect for you but I think we need to get to known each other, and the best way to do that is for us to date. So tomorrows a Friday and with Dumbledore permission I'd like to take you on a date that is if you'll go out with me I said giving her a teasing smile.

Oh ok she said as long as this isn't some sort of cruel joke.

No it isn't a cruel joke I said we need to do this we need to at least be friends first. and who knows you might find me likable if you give me a chance. I know I'm already starting to like you I said trying to give her a little confidence and ease her fears.

Well ok what time should I be ready? she said with just the faintest hint of a smile playing across her rose colored lips.

How does 5:30 sound? I said

Good to me she answered.

Well then it's a date I said.

Then I pulled her up into my arms and gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. I was pleasantly surprised by the soft blush that colored her cheeks and the appearance of the first real smile that I had seen on her face.

Goodnight I'll see you tomorrow sweetheart I whispered in her ear before getting up to go find Dumbledore and tell him our plans. I was surprised by a flustered Goodnight Harry from a very red faced Sayward as I left the office.

Well I tried to make this as realistic as possible yes Harry and Sayward have a happy marriage at the time this is all being written but it wasn't easy at first. There will be good times and hard times ahead and their lives together will be complicated. But lets see how their first date goes. The next chapter will not be about the date it will be conversations between Harry and Dumbledore and Sayward and her friends Dierdre and Antigone.